Advance Questions to Ghana

ADVANCE QUESTIONS TO GHANA

CZECH REPUBLIC

Which concrete measures are being adopted to ensure that victims of violence are not obliged to pay costs of their medical examination and in what timeframe does Ghana expect to be able to guarantee this to all victims of violence?

What measures are being adopted to ensure early ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) and has the preparation of establishment of the national preventive mechanism been initiated or its form considered yet?

What measures have been adopted or are being considered with a view of bringing the pending Right to Information Bill in compliance with the international standards of freedom of expression and to ensure its early adoption?

DENMARK

•Reviews show that Ghanese women are being accused of practicing witchcraft and subjected to violence, including mob violence, burning and lynching, and forced to leave their communities and sent to so-called “witch camps”. Which concrete measures is the Government taking to combat these practices? Does the Government plan to adopt legislative measures in the near future to help combat these discriminatory practices?

•Which steps does the Government plan to take to strengthen mediation and court connected Alternative Dispute Resolution to improve equal access to justice for the poor, particularly rural women, in the near future?

•Which steps is the Government taking or planning to take to improve the current draft of the Right to Information Bill and subsequently pass a bill which will contribute to enhancing transparency and accountability of government institutions?

GERMANY

Will the government of Ghana end its policy of non-equal treatment of

homosexuals and LGBT in general?

The situation in prisons is highly precarious and has worsened since the first UPR cycle. Which measures is Ghana taking in order to improve the situation of prisoners?

Which efforts is Ghana making in order to eliminate inhumane practices like those of the Trokosi-Cult, where girls and young women are “given” into a slave-similar dependency to local priests in order to compensate misconduct of family members such as so-called “Witch-Camps”, where women who are considered to be jinxed are sent to?

NETHERLANDS

Ghana has a good record in relation to the freedom of the media. Also Ghana participated in the International Conference on Internet Freedom, held in The Hague in December 2011, being a good example of an African country that puts internet freedom into practice. Closely related to this issue is the Right to Information. A ‘Right to Information’ bill is before Parliament since 2010, but not yet passed. Some civil society organizations have criticized the draft bill, finding it too unclear and having too broad exception clauses. To what extent will the bill be adapted to this criticism and what efforts will be made to have the bill passed in a short term? How will independent control over its implementation be guaranteed?

Ghana is a rapidly developing country and is on track on achieving most of the Millennium Development Goals. Ghana took several measures to promote girls attendance to education, and currently girls’ enrolment of high school constitutes 46%. Also Ghana has demonstrated commitment to the principle of equal participation of men and women by adopting an Affirmative Action Policy that requires 40% representation of women in public offices, etc. However, practice lags far behind. How does the government of Ghana intend to increase the effectiveness of the implementation of the affirmative action policy?

Ghana has made progress in the past years with enacting the Domestic Violence Bill in 2007 followed by its subsequent implementation. A Women- and Juveniles’ Unit was established within the Ghana Police to facilitate the handling of cases of domestic violence and juveniles. This shows that various aspects of violence against children are being addressed. With respect to child labour, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare developed a National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa as well as a National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. Recent surveys estimate that about 50.000 children live on the streets. Half of this number is believed to live on the streets of the Greater Accra Region. The sight of working children is very visible in the streets of Accra. How is the problem of the street children being addressed?

Ghana’s constitution has provisions to protect every person in Ghana, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender. Sexual preference is not mentioned under this chapter of the constitution. Under section 104 of the Criminal Code homosexuality could be considered illegal. There have been several cases of harassment and violence against homosexuals. How will Ghana apply the universal principle of non-discrimination in relation to the issue of homosexuality?

Ghana’s rapid economic growth also brings about a rapid urbanization. In the outskirts of the major cities settlements grow rapidly. Often people settle illegally, in term leading to evictions and / or demolitions of settlements. What is being done to guarantee that these evictions are implemented to generally accepted standards? How are the housing needs, including public services like water and sanitation being served in these areas?

NORWAY

Does the Government of Ghana intend to abolish the death penalty as recommended by the Constitution Review Commission? Will the Government establish an official moratorium on the use of the death penalty, pending abolition of the death penalty?

How will the Government act to ensure thorough and impartial investigation into all allegations of attacks and threats against individuals targeted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity?

What steps is the Government taking to fulfill its obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other treaties to legally protect children from all corporal punishment?

SLOVENIA

In its concluding observations of 2006, the CEDAW committee noted that Ghanaian legal provisions make it more difficult for foreign spouses of Ghanaian women to acquire Ghanaian citizenship than it is for foreign spouses of Ghanaian men to acquire citizenship, and recommended that Ghana brings article 7 (6) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 10 (7) of the Citizenship Act, 2000 (Act 591) in line with article 9 of the CEDAW convention. What steps have been taken to implement this recommendation?

What is being done to improve the quality of education, amidst reports that many Ghanaian children complete primary education without attaining functional literacy or numeracy, as a result of lack of textbooks, overcrowded classrooms and lack of trained teachers?

What measures are being taken to raise awareness about the rights of people with disabilities, in particular those with mental disabilities?

How is the government monitoring and regulating prayer camps, particularly with regard to health standards, hygiene standards and the minimum standards for admitting persons with mental disabilities as residents? What measures are being taken to prevent inhumane practices such as chaining, prolonged restraint or mandatory fasting, which reportedly take place in prayer camps, even without the free and informed consent of participants?

How is the government implementing CAT recommendations regarding psychiatric confinement?

What steps have been taken to implement CAT recommendation to enact legislation criminalizing marital rape?

In line with the recommendation by the Special Rapporteur on the right to health, what measures are being considered by Ghana to address the gaps in coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme?

SPAIN

¿Qué medidas planea adoptar el Gobierno de Ghana para seguir avanzando en la lucha por la igualdad de género y erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres?

¿Qué medidas de protección se podrían adoptar para proteger a las víctimas de la trata de niños y niñas? ¿Está el Gobierno tomando medidas concretas para sensibilizar a la ciudadanía de la necesidad de denunciar estas prácticas?